Transfers of the Tether Gold stablecoin (XAUT)—the place every token is equal to 1 troy ounce of bodily gold—reached a quantity equal to 94 metric tons of tokenized gold between mid-August 2025 and mid-January 2026.
This mobilization on the Ethereum and TRON networks, the place (XAUT) operates, represented an working price in commissions of simply 0.0016% concerning the entire capital displaced, in accordance with knowledge supplied by the CEO of Tether, Paolo Ardoino, yesterday, February 19.
Within the dynamics on-chainthe quantity of transfers remained principally in a spread of between 1 and three tons per week. Though distinctive peaks of seven.2 and 14 tons had been recorded, the definitive acceleration occurred in January 2026, reaching a most of 21.4 tons within the week of January 11, as seen within the graph.
Ardoino emphasised the fee disparity by stating operational variations: “whereas central banks spend thousands and thousands of {dollars} to maneuver their gold,” on airplanes, armed safety, million-dollar insurance coverage, and customs, cryptocurrency networks enable for rapid, low-cost, and safe settlement.
Operational effectivity versus bodily transportation
Switch volumes, amongst different components, could have been influenced by the launch in the beginning of final January of Scudo, a brand new unit of account for XAUT (0.001 ounces), which seeks to simplify the usage of gold as a way of fee by introducing a unit equal to 1 thousandth of a troy ounce.
This unit of measurement makes it simpler for institutions and finish customers to undertake the digital asset with out the mathematical friction of the usual metallic measurement unit.
At the moment, XAUT leads the tokenized gold market with a market capitalization of $2.6 billion, in accordance with knowledge from CoinMarketCap, establishing itself as the popular choice for these looking for publicity to the metallic via a cryptocurrency.
Tether climbs within the world reserves rating
Past asset mobility, the buildup of bodily reserves has positioned the agency in a spot of macroeconomic relevance. Tether’s bodily gold reserves reached 148 tons as of January 31, 2026after buying about 26 tons within the final quarter of 2025 and a further 6 tons in January.
This development has been key for Tether to climb positions on the worldwide monetary board. Based on a report by the funding agency Jefferies, Tether has managed to enter thirtieth place on the earth rating of largest holders of gold, as reported by CriptoNoticias.
With this degree of custody, the corporate has managed to climb positions amongst varied nationwide banking establishments, formally surpassing the reserves of nations akin to Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Korea and Greece. On this method, Tether consolidates itself as a world participant, supporting the premise of its accelerated rise within the reserves rating.
